Cops Against the Drug War

A former Texas narcotics officer, described by colleagues and supervisors as the best narc in the state and perhaps in the country, has not only come out against the drug war, he's promoting a video instructing drug offenders how to evade the police.

A promotional video says Cooper will show viewers how to "conceal their stash," "avoid narcotics profiling" and "fool canines every time."

Cooper, who said he favors the legalization of marijuana, made the video in part because he believes the nation's fight against drugs is a waste of resources. Busting marijuana users fills up prisons with nonviolent offenders, he said.

"My main motivation in all of this is to teach Americans their civil liberties and what drives me in this is injustice and unfairness in our system," Cooper told the newspaper.

Police and public officials in Texas are tripping over themselves to announce what a traitorous, horrible person Cooper is, and they're even looking into the possibility of charging him with a crime. They don't seem all that concerned about the fact that a guy who ought to know as well as anyone has publicly declared that the drug war is corrupt, fundamentally unjust, and a complete waste of resources. You'd think that such an occasion would be at last enough for a brief, "hey, wait a minute" moment.

Nah. Condemn him, ostracize him, and move on to the next Tulia.